Shades of Green or Pop?

[Teacherk12]

I have been to POP before the Skyliner was operational so I have been really looking forward to trying it out, but I just found out that my son who will be going with us is eligible for Shades of Green as a DOD civilian. I have read transportation is not great from Shades of Green. I have read that SOG is considered Deluxe level, but without the Disney feel. Pricing looks to be about the same for either one. We are rope droppers (well I am sometimes I have to go by myself) so transportation is important. Looking for opinions for people who stayed in both.

 

[firstwdw]

Rooms are bigger at SOG and you'll have a balcony there. Transportation will be better at Pop though. At Shades you now have to take a bus to the transportation center and transfer to a monorail to get to EPCOT and a monorail or ferry to get to Magic Kingdom. Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios share a bus. Can't beat the Skyliner at Pop and the non-shared direct bus to the front gates of MK and EPCOT. Our bathrooms have been outdated and in need of renovation at Shades and two times we didn't have hot water even after notifying the desk. Shades of Green will be quieter and less busy. Can't go wrong with either but Pop's transportation is better. SOG is considered deluxe because it has a spa, gym, tennis courts, sit-down restaurant but I don't personally think it's comparable with a Disney deluxe resort. It is a great value for what you pay however!

So think about what is more important: spacious room, balcony, gym, restaurant on site or.......Disney theming, transportation

 

[nw6675]

You are probably already aware, but you also can't walk to the Poly from SoG any longer. That was a "perk" important to some.

 

[Teacherk12]

Rooms are bigger at SOG and you'll have a balcony there. Transportation will be better at Pop though. At Shades you now have to take a bus to the transportation center and transfer to a monorail to get to EPCOT and a monorail or ferry to get to Magic Kingdom. Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios share a bus. Can't beat the Skyliner at Pop and the non-shared direct bus to the front gates of MK and EPCOT. Our bathrooms have been outdated and in need of renovation at Shades and two times we didn't have hot water even after notifying the desk. Shades of Green will be quieter and less busy. Can't go wrong with either but Pop's transportation is better. SOG is considered deluxe because it has a spa, gym, tennis courts, sit-down restaurant but I don't personally think it's comparable with a Disney deluxe resort. It is a great value for what you pay however!

So think about what is more important: spacious room, balcony, gym, restaurant on site or.......Disney theming, transportation

Thank you, that’s what I was wondering, if it was a true deluxe experience.

 

[Teacherk12]

You are probably already aware, but you also can't walk to the Poly from SoG any longer. That was a "perk" important to some.

Yes I have read that, that would have helped the transportation issue.

 

[brockash]

I have been to POP before the Skyliner was operational so I have been really looking forward to trying it out, but I just found out that my son who will be going with us is eligible for Shades of Green as a DOD civilian. I have read transportation is not great from Shades of Green. I have read that SOG is considered Deluxe level, but without the Disney feel. Pricing looks to be about the same for either one. We are rope droppers (well I am sometimes I have to go by myself) so transportation is important. Looking for opinions for people who stayed in both.

Pop....really any Disney resort. We did Shades a lil over a yr ago and it just wasn't for us. It was fine, the rooms were bigger which was nice, but it did not feel like we were at Disney.

The only thing that we really felt was terrible was the transportation. There was absolutely no way to get to the parks for rope drop and be one of the first cpl hundred ppl. in. They just do not start their transportation early enough. We would walk to Poly ever day. - It was nice to be able to do that (although apparently not an option anymore,) but also got old after a cpl. days. Even when not trying to make rope drop we really did not like yheir transportation. AK and DHS shared a bus and you have to show your id and lil card from the hotel every time you board. It was just frustrating and after the 2nd day we never used their transportation again.

Transportation and just not feeling like we were at a Disney resort (as we weren't) was too much for us, so I can't imagine we'd go back.

 

[Stargazer65]

You are probably already aware, but you also can't walk to the Poly from SoG any longer. That was a "perk" important to some.

Why is that...construction of the Poly Tower? Is that a temporary thing?

 

[DanceDisney23]

Another consideration is, do you and your husband have military or DOD IDs?

Friends of ours like staying at SOG, and my husband is a veteran, but I have no affiliation. We considered doing a trip with our friends and staying at SOG for the price/size of the room. But I went off the idea when I found out that I wouldn’t be able to get on a bus without a military member or even buy a bottle of water at the gift shop by myself. It sounds like as a regular civilian, you need a chaperone to do anything at SOG. That wasn’t my idea of a vacation.

 

[nw6675]

Why is that...construction of the Poly Tower? Is that a temporary thing?

No, it's permanent due to the road expansion. No safe way to cross going forward.

 

[Stargazer65]

No, it's permanent due to the road expansion. No safe way to cross going forward.

That's a shame. I haven't stayed there, but we occasionally do the breakfast buffet at SoG when we stay DVC, since we always have a car. I never had a chance to walk to/from the Poly to SoG, now I guess it's a moot point.

 

[katyringo]

We are at shades right now. We gave it a try but it's not for us. The removal of the Polly walkway I think has made this resort less desirable..

Having to take the bus to the TTC is a buzz kill. There were a few other hiccups as well. It's not bad.. great service, nice people.. but we already booked pop for our return.

 

[katyringo]

Another consideration is, do you and your husband have military or DOD IDs?

Friends of ours like staying at SOG, and my husband is a veteran, but I have no affiliation. We considered doing a trip with our friends and staying at SOG for the price/size of the room. But I went off the idea when I found out that I wouldn’t be able to get on a bus without a military member or even buy a bottle of water at the gift shop by myself. It sounds like as a regular civilian, you need a chaperone to do anything at SOG. That wasn’t my idea of a vacation.

This isn't entirely true.. once you have your room key you can use the bus and you can buy anything but alcohol at the exchange. But you can't check in without our military sponsor.

 

[katyringo]

Pop....really any Disney resort. We did Shades a lil over a yr ago and it just wasn't for us. It was fine, the rooms were bigger which was nice, but it did not feel like we were at Disney.

The only thing that we really felt was terrible was the transportation. There was absolutely no way to get to the parks for rope drop and be one of the first cpl hundred ppl. in. They just do not start their transportation early enough. We would walk to Poly ever day. - It was nice to be able to do that (although apparently not an option anymore,) but also got old after a cpl. days. Even when not trying to make rope drop we really did not like yheir transportation. AK and DHS shared a bus and you have to show your id and lil card from the hotel every time you board. It was just frustrating and after the 2nd day we never used their transportation again.

Transportation and just not feeling like we were at a Disney resort (as we weren't) was too much for us, so I can't imagine we'd go back.

I just want to say for OP that we are here now and have only used shades transportation and we were one of the first people on tower or terror and space mountain. I think they are running their transportation earlier now. What is a pain is having to go to the TTC...

 

[Stargazer65]

On the positive side for SoG...we were at the breakfast buffet there three weeks ago (our third time going there just for that), and I still consider it a hidden gem at WDW for quality and value.

 

[McMonsters]

SOG hands down for us! Stayed both numerous times and almost every other Disney resort. We are a military family so the quirks are familiar to us. Once you get your check in card you don’t have to always be with the booking guest. My parents have gone with us and have different itineraries since we are early park hoppers. I was very impressed with the transportation at SOG, efficient and easy to navigate because of the schedule.

 

[DanceDisney23]

This isn't entirely true.. once you have your room key you can use the bus and you can buy anything but alcohol at the exchange. But you can't check in without our military sponsor.

Thank you for the clarification. That’s good to know. Our friends explained it very differently, but I don’t think they have ever brought a non-military person along.

That might be a game changer for future trips.

 

[katyringo]

Thank you for the clarification. That’s good to know. Our friends explained it very differently, but I don’t think they have ever brought a non-military person along.

That might be a game changer for future trips.

You do have to show ID to use the bus but you show your regular ID if you have a room key.

 

[Eeyore daily]

We stayed at SOG for the first time as we were getting married there thanks to my dad's military sponsorship. I wouldn't stay there again. I had such difficulty (just me, no one else in my family or visitors of the wedding) with getting into the resort, checking in, and dealing with the room. While the room size was nice for my family to get ready for the wedding I'd prefer POP for transportation, food (especially as I have allergies and their restaurants seemed confusing/closing early), and dealing with people as a non-military member.

Also just a note, if the military sponsor has checked in, anyone they're sponsoring (especially if in separate rooms) can check in. We had my dad check in early that morning as we all were coming in at different times and no trouble for anyone else. Just me.

 

[katyringo]

We stayed at SOG for the first time as we were getting married there thanks to my dad's military sponsorship. I wouldn't stay there again. I had such difficulty (just me, no one else in my family or visitors of the wedding) with getting into the resort, checking in, and dealing with the room. While the room size was nice for my family to get ready for the wedding I'd prefer POP for transportation, food (especially as I have allergies and their restaurants seemed confusing/closing early), and dealing with people as a non-military member.

Also just a note, if the military sponsor has checked in, anyone they're sponsoring (especially if in separate rooms) can check in. We had my dad check in early that morning as we all were coming in at different times and no trouble for anyone else. Just me.

Yes! The food situation has also been a bit annoying. The only thing open for an actual meal in the afternoon is evergreens.. and it's by the pool away from the main lobby. We ate there and it was okay.. but like yesterday when we took a break around 2 we just wanted to get food for our room and I didn't want to walk all the way over there.. room service doesn't start into 5 and the little cafe closed at 2pm.

 

[NavyDad]

I just want to say for OP that we are here now and have only used shades transportation and we were one of the first people on tower or terror and space mountain. I think they are running their transportation earlier now. What is a pain is having to go to the TTC...

We were just there about the same time as you and we felt that the TTC was much more convenient for MK than the buses from Pop and other Disney resorts. The bus to the TTC drops you off relatively close to security and then it is a direct shot right into the express monorail which drops you off like 50 feet from the tap-styles over on the left side.

The MK bus stops have gone through lots of renovations over the years and some of the bus stops are incredibly far from the first entrance. We have stayed at Pop (which we love) many times over the years and for whatever reason the Pop bus stop was always the FARTHEST bus stop away, usually the last pavilion on the last loop. Not sure if that is still the case but it was the last time we stayed at Pop in 2019. That walk to the Pop bus stop at the end of the night was absolutely brutal.